Forty Million Reasons to Lie
Chapter 15 - Forty Million Reasons to Lie
Ethan laughed when he heard the number.
Forty million dollars.
He had spent the previous week worrying about replacing the transmission in his truck.
Now lawyers were arguing over whether his seven-year-old daughter owned a fortune.
"I don't want it," Ethan said.
Richard's attorney shook his head.
"It's not yours to refuse."
Emma had inherited shares in the Hale family trust before leaving.
Although she never touched them, their value had grown.
The money legally passed to Lily.
But Charles's document named him trustee.
Ethan examined Emma's signature.
It looked real.
Too real.
Then Lily noticed something.
"Mommy didn't write her E like that."
Everyone looked at her.
Lily ran upstairs and returned with birthday cards Emma had written.
She was right.
Emma's capital E had changed after breaking her wrist at nineteen.
Charles's document used her childhood signature.
The signature had been copied from old family records.
A handwriting expert confirmed the forgery.
Charles's last defense collapsed.
Federal prosecutors added new charges.
This time, bail was revoked.
Before being taken away, Charles requested a private meeting with Richard.
Richard went.
Charles sat behind thick glass.
"Was she worth it?"
Richard stared at him.
"My daughter?"
"Destroying everything we built."
Richard shook his head.
"You still don't understand."
Charles leaned closer.
"What?"
"We didn't build anything."
Richard looked at his brother for the last time.
"We stole years from people and called it success."
Then he walked away.
But Charles's downfall left Richard facing one final decision.
Hale & Whitmore's board wanted him to remain CEO.
Lily wanted something else.
May you like
"Grandpa," she asked, "when are you going to stop working and be happy?"
Richard had no answer.
